Now, far be it from me to assume that a slick large national consulting firm like Hill & Knowlton wouldn't set up a website like this out of the kindness of their hearts, but I'm going to do just that - assume that Hill & Knowlton isn't doing this out of the kindness of their hearts.

So, the question remains: who is behind 'getitrightalberta.ca?'

Interestingly, Hill & Knowlton's Calgary office is led by none-other than Mr. Ken Boessenkool, a member of the infamous firewall six and former adviser to Stockwell Day and Stephen Harper.

So, the still question remains, who is really behind 'getitrightalberta.ca?'

The debate about Alberta's resource royalties is too important to Alberta's future to include 'hidden stakeholders.'

The government must be proactive in collecting the royalties it is owed, especially from oil-sands operations where ill defined projects can avoid the tax man. That said the oil in Alberta is not the same as the oil in Norway (where royalties are about 40%).

In Norway the oil is off shore and the wells produce in the hundreds of barrels of oil per day (bbl/day). In Alberta (excluding the oil sands), the average well produces about 10 bbl/day. We rely on having a lot of wells. However, each well must be maintained, pipelined, supported with infrastructure and various workover operations. If royalties are hiked, thousands of marginal wells become economically unviable. This will cause the loss of hundreds of jobs for operators and small service companies like the 30 man swabbing outfit I worked for in Brooks two summers ago.

The oil sands are a different story and a hike in royalties would be acceptable provided it is not too steep. The primary consideration for oil sands planning is stability in an unstable world. Project horizons are 25 year minimums and companies rely on a consistent royalty regime. This is a large part of our Alberta Advantage. So no matter what the outcome of the royalty review, the most important thing is that it is enshrined in legislation for at least 10 years. This allows for a stable investment climate which benefits all Albertans.

Even providing jobs for ill-informed former SU presidents like Mike Hudema.

Nice work. Isn't Boessenkool an unusual name? I've seen it before a few places; apparently Ken is a registered lobbyist for ethanol fuels and the HPV vaccine; hey, didn't they both get money from Ken's good buddy Harper?

"John Sparks, former Burlington GR, who is close with Stelmach. H&K, where Sparks's wife works, supplied the web platform."

Yeah, a lot of people try and claim they are "close to" Stelmach. Just like Hal Walker (Chair of Calgary Chamber of Commerce) recently claimed to be a Tory insider. When you ask people who Hal Walker is, you get shrugs. If anyone that owns a membership qualifies as an insider, then I guess he is right.

I suspect something similar here.

Reality is, if royalties go up, some Tories will be upset. So will some well-known Liberals (Murray Edwards, for example, at least federally). Doesn't mean it is not going to happen. It may surprise some of you, but a lot of Tories DON'T work in the oil & gas industry, and they are in favour of raising.

If you want to learn more about how lobbying works, check out this post at DeSmogBlog. They keep an eye on astroturf organizations that are into denying global warming, etc.

http://www.desmogblog.com/nrsp-controlled-by-energy-lobbyists

They have some nice quotes from the federal government's Lobbyist Code of Conduct, such as:

"1. Identity and purpose

“Lobbyists shall, when making a representation to a public office holder, disclose the identity of the person or organization on whose behalf the representation is made, as well as the reasons for the approach.”"

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The opinions expressed on this blog represent my own and not those of my employer or any organization I may be affiliated with.In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time. I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This blog is intended to provide a semi-permanent point in time snapshot and manifestation of the various ideas running around my brain, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not the same, nor even similar, to those I may hold today.

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Who is Dave Cournoyer? I am a writer, blogger, communicator, occasional media pundit, political watcher, & proud life-long Albertan. I studied Political Science at the University of Alberta and have served as Vice-President (External) of the U of A Students' Union, Chair of the Council of Alberta University Students, and communications coordinator for Alberta's official opposition party.